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Council extends Neighborhood Ambassador contracts, allocates $250,000 in opioid settlement funds
Summary
The committee approved extending contracts with Father Tracy Advocacy Center and Baraka Muslim Center for the Neighborhood Ambassador program and authorized $250,000 from opioid settlement funds ($125,000 each). Council asked for a work session and further budget detail.
The Budget, Finance and Governance Committee voted to authorize mandatory agreements to extend the Neighborhood Ambassador program for another year and to allocate $250,000 in opioid settlement funds to the effort, splitting $125,000 to Father Tracy Advocacy Center and $125,000 to Baraka Muslim Center.
Miss Ruiz, presenting to the committee, said the program began in April and the current contract year is scheduled to end in March; she told the committee the city plans to extend the two listed contracts into a second year and expects to consider the other two partners later in the budget cycle. "We have roughly, we fluctuate between 10 to 17 ambassadors, at the father Tracy's, advocacy center and as well as, the same amount over at Baraka," Ruiz said.
Why it matters: The Neighborhood Ambassador program employs people to do outreach and connect residents to services; council members said they have heard positive feedback across neighborhoods. Members asked for more detail on whether $125,000 per partner covers operating costs and whether ambassadors from year one will continue into year two.
Council members raised questions about program metrics and timing. Baraka experienced a leadership transition and was late submitting some KPIs for the first half of the year; the presenter said that detail and more will be discussed in a scheduled work session. Council member Lupien and others said at least one partner reported the program costs more to operate than the payment covers and asked staff to review budget needs before future renewals.
The committee also confirmed the neighborhood ambassador extensions will be discussed at a working session that will consider broader opioid-settlement spending. A committee member confirmed, "This is funded by the opioid settlement."
The committee voted to adopt the mandatory agreements; the motion was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. Council members said they will discuss contract timing and whether to bundle the other two partners in a single renewal at future meetings.
